Tie and fastener system gauge restraint performance at FAST

摘要

To better understand the performance of the tie and fastener system under heavy-axle-loads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), continues to perform testing on a variety of tie and fastener test zones at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST) in Pueblo, Colo. As part of the Association of American Railroads' (AAR) Strategic Research Initiative Program to assess tie and fastener system performance, gauge strength testing was conducted on a variety of tie and fastener designs to assess their ability to resist gauge widening after more than 820 million gross tons (mgt) of traffic. Various zones of hardwood ties with and without elastic fastening systems, softwood ties with and without elastic fastening systems, composite ties with cut spike and American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) plate fastening systems and two varieties of concrete tie fastening systems are being evaluated. The ties and fasteners of conventional ballasted track act together as a system to transfer vertical and lateral load applied at the wheel-rail interface into the ballast and to maintain sufficient track geometry, particularly track gauge. The tie and fastener system, depending on its design, can fail in a multitude of ways, inhibiting one or more of its primary functions. Failure modes of the various tie and fastener systems are being monitored and their effect on track performance documented.